Cool Cats, Subversives and Gangsters:
The Connection Between Chicago and European Cabaret
Music journalist and performer Jonathan Lewis sets the scene to introduce the forthcoming Chicago Paris Cabaret Connexion. Now in its eighth annual edition, the 2026 conference takes place in Chicago November 2-8 with 45 workshops, master classes and round table discussions covering everything from vocal health and technique, stage presence., comedy and patter, to essential conversations about the place of cabaret in our political world. From October 28-November 15, concerts will showcase over 40 participants coming from the US and 20 artists from Paris, Lyon, France and Berlin. Join us in Chicago in 2026. Let’s meet in Paris for the ninth Cabaret Connexion in 2027. Cabaretconnexion.org
By Jonathan Lewis
It is generally accepted that the art form of cabaret began in Paris. Impresario Rudolph Salis opened the club Le Chat Noir (“black cat”) in the bohemian Montmartre district in Paris in1881. Thought to be the first cabaret venue, it was a nightclub where the patrons sat at tables and drank alcoholic beverages, while being entertained by a stage variety show. The experience was an amalgamation of counter-culture café, trendy nightclub, artist salon, and rowdy music hall. A master of ceremonies introduced each act, which featured live music, dance, poetry readings, and sharp political commentary. Performers often interacted with the more well-known Parisians in the audience, making them a part of the show even though they might be completely unaware that satirical monologues mocked their elevated status.
A decade later, a taste of the cabaret experience came to Chicago with the 1893 Columbia Exposition, which brought bits of culture from around the globe in pavilions showcasing different countries. While not officially an export from France at that time, cabaret had a clear influence on the various Ragtime performers and fringe concerts that performed outside the official boundaries of the Exposition. Around 1900, the cabaret concept moved to Berlin and Munich, shifting toward gallows humor and avant-garde art. Cabaret venues opened up in Saint Petersburg, London and Lisbon.
Chicago became one of the first American cities to adopt this freewheeling, yet intimate performance style. The city’s early nightlife took root in the various entertainment districts including Tower Town (close to Water Tower on the Near North Side) and Levee (around South Wabash). Ragtime merged with variety acts, as performers Fanny Brice and W.C. Fields came to Chicago on vaudeville tours and really launched their careers in the burgeoning clubs here. America’s first Black-owned stock theater and Bronzeville joints like Club de Lisa, Pekin Inn and the Sunset Café nurtured nightclub artists Josphine Baker and Bricktop before each left the States for life and career in Europe.
Prohibition might have brought an end to nightlife, but mob-run spots and underground cabarets flourished. Venues like the Green Mill saw gangland power struggles, while performers toiled away on the small intimate stages, hoping to avoid being caught in the crossfire. Post World War II, influential cabaret rooms like London House and Mister Kelly’s opened along Rush Street, creating another entertainment corridor in the city. Mister Kelly’s hosted both established and rising stars such as Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Bette Midler, and Barbra Streisand. In that heyday, Chicago became truly a cabaret powerhouse.
Every year, the Cabaret Connexion brings together European and American cabaret artists in an exhibition and conference, alternating between Chicago and Paris. This year the Connexion comes to Chicago from October 30 to November 1o. French cabaret artists Isabelle Georges, Mamzelle Amandine, Julie Morel, Anne-Sophie Guerrier, Angélique Dessaint, and Michèle Barbier, and German artists Anne Fromm, Thomas Kellner and Johanna Paliege will perform evening concerts, as well as teaching master classes and workshops. Local cabaret favorites David Edelfelt, Hilary Feldman, Beckie Menzie, and Carla Gordon will also be lending their professional expertise to various classes.
Connexion invites performers, the public, and media to come for the art. Stay for the connections. Leave inspired.
Details and tickets available at cabaretconnexion.org/rsvp2026/
